Neil Mitchell outlines urgency of Stourbridge plight

LEST anyone at Stourbridge be in any doubt, Neil Mitchell has confirmed the growing urgency of their plight ahead of what he claims is the most important match of his eight-year tenure at Stourton Park.

LEST anyone at Stourbridge be in any doubt, Neil Mitchell has confirmed the growing urgency of their plight ahead of what he claims is the most important match of his eight-year tenure at Stourton Park.

Mitchell’s side face Wharfedale at home this weekend in a fixture in which two of the bottom three clash and with just one win from their first nine games, it is one the director of rugby says Stour cannot lose.

Last Saturday’s last- minute defeat to fellow strugglers Cinderford, Stour wasted a 30-20 lead with ten minutes remaining to lose by two points, leaves them bottom of the pile in National One and in dire need of a victory.

And the director of rugby will impress that fact upon his players in the build up. “This is definitely the biggest game of my time here, that is obvious everyone knows that,” he said.

“But then so will Rosslyn Park and Sedgley Park be in the weeks after, these are vital games now because of the position we are in.

“This weekend will be our fifth home game and we have lost the previous four and we are against a side that until they went to Rosslyn Park last Saturday had not shown great away form.

“We played very well for major parts at Cinderford, we had parity in the forwards against a loosehead from Gloucester but this weekend is a defining moment for us.”

On the plus side Mitchell expects to have use of Worcester academy forwards James Clutterbuck and Niles Dacres this weekend.

Fellow Sixways youngster James Currie and the excellent centre Tom Jarvis should also soon be available in the next week or so.